Every Last One
by ForeverLilacLies
Summary: The Saviors find Rick after a brutal assault and Negan comes to terms with his own failings. AU chapter to Sending a Message.


**AU chapter where Saviors find Rick and Aaron. I decided to add in this chapter with the alternative opening. The rest of the story is very much the same, but I had two opening chapters written**.

The rumbling of the truck was obnoxiously loud in the otherwise silent ride towards the Sanctuary. Simon found that the silence was welcome. He could enjoy the scenery of the passing trees along with the stray walker on the road that he always swerved in order to run them down. Negan sat in the passenger seat, oddly silent and brooding. Usually he would be talking Simon's ear off or singing off key to the radio. Not that Simon was complaining of course. He enjoyed a peaceful drive sometimes. Still, he could feel the tension in the man beside him and it left him wondering once again, how serious his boss was with the fearless leader of the Alexandrians. Anyone with eyes could see the boss had wanted him. And it had taken a little more eyesight, but there were hints that pretty Ricky Grimes wanted Negan back.

Negan's fingers drummed over his crossed arms as he stared out the window. The stiffness in his jaw gave away his frustration. Maybe he was being over dramatic, but he didn't bother to give a shit. Rick had not been in Alexandria to greet him. His son had said be was still out scavenging and wasn't that just fucking dandy? There was never an express order that Rick had to be at pickups to greet him, but it was expected. Leader to leader and all that. It was out of place for him not to be there Especially on pick up days. Hadn't they reached a silent agreement that Rick would be there? Michonne had watched him with steely eyes and wasn't that just something?

That woman always was overprotective of her boy. Even after she let him go, she made it clear that she disapproved of Negan trying to sneak his way into her place. If she didn't want that to have happened, maybe she should have held on tighter. Negan wasn't about to bow down to anyone. Even her with those intense eyes of hers. Negan tilted his head back, preparing to have himself a nap when his radio crackled in his hand. "Sir, we see a man up ahead." Arat's voice came over the radio and Negan clicked his tongue.

He lifted the radio to his lips. "Living?"

"Yeah, he seems pretty lively." Another one of Negan's men spoke up, sounding amused. Negan sighed, idly tapping Lucille. "Well, looks like we're gonna be savin' someone today!" He spoke into the radio, running his tongue over his lips. Beside him, Simon chuckled, pulling over to the side of the road and giving Negan a clear view of someone slowly moving towards them. He squinted out the window, noticing he recognized the man. He mentally wracked his brain on how he knew the guy when the radio buzzed to life.

"Oh shit, it's one of Grimes's boys." Dwight muttered and Negan sneered, shoving the truck door open with a bang and jumped out. He didn't bother closing the door, twirling Lucille with casual grace. He strode down the road and the man's eyes sought him out, almost looking _relieved_. Michonne had said Rick was out with Aaron. This must have been Aaron. They sure had taken their time getting finished. So, Rick was out here with this asshole all along. The man moved forward, looking dazed.

"Well look here! You're one of Rick's boys aren't you?" Negan called out as he leaned back, Lucille over his shoulder. The man came to a stop in front of him. His hair was mused and his eyes puffy. Negan however barely noticed any of this. This wasn't the man he had wanted to see. "So tell me, where's Rick at?" The man-Aaron opened his mouth to reply but it seemed he was lost for words. His mouth shut and his Adam's apple visibly bounced. The silence suddenly had Negan nervous. His eyes flickered over the smaller man's shoulder, searching for Rick. "Where is he?" He asked again, voice softening. Aaron's lip was bruised and his eyes shining and wild.

"He-" Aaron tried to speak up only for movement behind him to have Negan looking up again to see Rick slowly approaching from the tree line. Negan's lips curved into a slow smile at the sight of his boy. Aaron shifted his stance as if to block Negan from walking to where Rick was. Negan fixed him with an amused stare, mouth curved into a grin.

"You might wanna move on out of my way." He teased but the man fixed him with a cold stare. Negan scoffed, shoving past Aaron and striding towards Rick, ignoring Aaron's attempts to stop him. "Rick, well shit. When I told you I expected you at pick up days I wasn't just playing around." He called out as he strode down the grassy slope. His men followed behind, allowing him a wide berth. Rick looked up at where Negan stood on the crest of the slope, face impassive as ever.

"Needed supplies." Rick replied, swaying on his feet as he came to a stop. His shirt was torn and he was muddied up as if he had been rolling around in dirt. How could Negan have missed it? Rick's face had been dirty except for streaks down his face that he later would know had been tears that had cleaned streams down his cheeks.

Negan had a crowd gathered and he had always been one to act for an audience. Later, he would curse his own ignorance, but at the moment, he had a crowd to impress. The torn shirt and dirt be damned. Negan clicked his tongue. "You had all damn week to get supplies. You weren't even all that short. Trying to find extra?" His tone was light and teasing and he expected that scowl he had become acquainted with to cross over Rick's pretty face. It never did.

Rick regarded Negan with those intense blue eyes of his, but they were missing their usual sharpness. "We found...canned food...Aaron found a tool kit." Aaron was suddenly moving past Negan, avoiding one of the Saviors reaching to haul him back, Negan waved the Savior off and watched as Aaron reached the tree-line.

"Well," Negan dramatically motioned to Rick and Aaron's empty hands. "Where are they?" Later, Negan would curse his stupidity. Later, Negan wouldn't be so blind.

Rick turned towards Aaron as if in a daze. "Are they gone?" He asked. Slowly, Negan frowned. Slowly, something began to click into place.

"Rick..." Aaron spoke up in a brittle voice. He watched as the man reached out for Rick's elbow and helped him up the hill. Rick leaned into the man's touch and Negan had to brush away the annoyance at the obvious display of trust he offered Aaron.

"You drunk or something, Rick?" Negan barked, startling the smaller man, who turned towards him as of it took all his energy to doso. He blinked up at Negan, blue eyes glassy. Negan prowled over to Rick and reached up, tapping at the side of his head, ignoring Aaron's snarls at his back. "Hellooooo, Rick. Gonna answer me, darlin'?" His voice cropped to a honey drawl, trying to get a rise out of his boy.

"We have to go back..." Rick swayed for a moment before falling to his knees, hands grasping at the dirt. Negan's grip on Lucille nearly loosened, looking down at Rick in confusion.

"Please, he's been hurt." Aaron tried to move towards Rick, but Negan beat him to it.

Negan dropped to his knees in front of Rick, ignoring his men as he cupped Rick's face. Rick seemed to stare right through him, mouth lax and bloody. "Shit, c'mon Rick talk to me baby. What's happening here?" Rick offered him no reply and raw panic welled in his chest. "Was he bit?" Negan turned to Aaron as his men wasted no time in pointing their guns at Rick. Negan shoved himself in front of Rick, blocking him from the guns pointed at him as Aaron quickly voiced his disapproval, hands waving away to deter the guns away from Rick's hunched form.

"No! He wasn't bit!" His voice cracked at the end and Negan's men lowered their weapons.

Negan stroked a finger over Rick's bruised cheek, wiping away at the blood on his chin. It wasn't just blood, Negan realized. There were streaks of white...Negan turned to Aaron, nearly getting whiplash with the force of it. "What the **fuck** happened?" He demanded, lips curling back into a snarl. Aaron shook where he stood.

"We were attacked...They were former Saviors. Had some bad blood with you. They recognized Rick..." Aaron's voice tapered off and a moment later he was dry heaving into the grass. Arat stepped back, nose wrinkling in distaste. Negan's mouth went dry at this. He turned his attention back to Rick, hoping that his imagination was going too wild. Hoping he was _wrong_.

"Rick," Negan murmured, reaching out to stroke Rick's cheek. Rick turned his head, eyes half lidded.

"We...there are supplies in the clearing...have to go back..." Rick's voice was weak, nearly lost in the light breeze.

"Don't you worry about that now. C'mon, eyes on me, Rick." Negan pressed his fingers under Rick's chin and tilted it up. Rick's eyes were glassy and unfocused. Aaron's words rang in Negan's head. _They were former Saviors. Had some bad blood with you. They recognized Rick..._

"Boss, that's a lot of blood." One of the men managed to speak up. Negan looked at him in confusion from where he was standing behind Rick, noticing his line of sight. Negan took Rick's shoulders and pulled him forward so he could peer over his shoulder at what his man was looking at.

The back of Rick's jeans were saturated with blood, leaving the material soaked against his skin. Negan couldn't tear his eyes away and his throat had suddenly gone dry. "He needs a doctor." Aaron murmured, shaking. Negan could barely hear him. Or anything over the roaring in his head. He stroked a hand through Rick's hair trying to get him to look at him, but Rick's attention was elsewhere, seeming to stare right through Negan.

"What did they do?" Simon finally asked, thumbs stuffed in the hoops of his ratty jeans. Arat looked towards Aaron, eyes dark. She knew what he was going to say. Aaron seemed unable to find his words and that enough had Arat's mouth thinning. She didn't need him to spell it out. She knew without words that someone had gone too far and Negan was going to burn the world down until he found them.

"Okay, Rick up you get." Negan stood, arm around Rick's shoulder as he helped him to his feet. Rick's legs shook, buckling twice and Negan could see that the legs and back of his jeans were nearly black with blood. The realization of what would cause that injury had Negan fighting down vomit that was quickly rising up in his throat. He lowered himself and Rick back down, unsure if he could walk himself, with how badly he was shaking. "I'm gonna have to pick you up." He murmured, hand rubbing what he hoped to be soothing circles down Rick's back.

Two of his men moved forward in offering and Rick flinched away from them, falling into the dirt and scrambling back away from them. Negan waved the men off with a sharp arm movement, reaching back for Rick, offering his open palms.

"Hey, hey you're fine. They're not gonna touch you." He assured him. Slowly, Rick nodded, still tense as if anticipating an attack. "Easy there, precious." Negan murmured, hand hovering over Rick's knee uncertain if Rick would allow him to touch him. Negan slowly stood, looking back to Arat, nodding towards Aaron. "Bring him back to Alexandria. Tell the girl with the samurai swords what's going on. Don't need her busting the Sanctuary door down to find him."

"Should I put her in charge?" Arat asked and Negan gave his his approval. Arat nodded in understanding and motioned for Aaron to follow her. The young man remained rooted to the spot, jaw clenched. It was obvious he wasn't planning on leaving without a fight. When Negan motioned him to move, he shook his head.

"I'm not leaving him." He argued refusing to move, voice hoarse.

"I don't remember aski-"

"You weren't there!" Aaron snarled, startling Negan who blinked at him. "You didn't see what those animals... ** _your_** men did to him! I'm not leaving him like this. He needs someone with him." His voice cracked and he turned away, hands shaking.

 _'They made him watch.'_ Negan wasn't naive. He knew what those animals had done to Rick and knew he had failed him. The least he could do was offer Aaron some reassurance. Negan sighed, nodding. He set Lucille down, observing how Rick flinched away from it as if struck. Without hesitation, Negan kicked Lucille away, allowing her to roll in the dirt and out of Rick's sight. His men stared at him in open shock and Arat's mouth curved up in the corner for a brief second. Negan barely looked at them.

"You're in no shape to be doing anything. Have the kid come in your place," He offered Aaron. "You know the kid will stick by his old man's side. No one is gonna hurt him." This seemed to placate Aaron who nodded, arms still wrapped protectively around his middle. "Anything you can find out from him, you let me know, okay?" Negan whispered to Arat who nodded her understanding, her face still drawn into a troubled frown.

"Yes sir. You want me to grab anything for him while I'm there?" She asked, hands moving to her hips. She and Negan watched as Aaron knelt in front of Rick, saying his goodbyes. Rick offered the younger man a weak smile that didn't reach his eyes, lifting his shaking hand to offer Aaron a pat on his shoulder. Even in the state he was in, Rick Grimes was trying to offer his friend some level of comfort.

"Change of clothes would be great. Christ, there's too much fucking blood..." Negan cursed and Arat looked away, looking uncharacteristically uncertain. She walked back towards the truck with Aaron hesitantly following. Rick continued to shiver from where he was kneeling, hands grasping at his knees in a white knuckle grip. Negan took off his jacket and draped it over Rick's shoulders. The man flinched under the touch and Negan had to fight down the bile rising in his throat.

He needed to find himself a distraction. He needed to find out who had attacked Rick. "Simon, grab Lucille would you?" He looked over his shoulder, hoping his second in command didn't see that wild look in his eyes. Simon was never the observant type. "And radio to the Sanctuary that we're gonna need the doctor ready for us."

"Sure thing boss." Simon huffed, looking as if he was in on some kind of joke and strode to where Lucille lay, swiping her up as if it were a prize to hold her.

"Negan." Rick's voice was garbled and weak as Negan turned back to him. Rick reached out to grasp at Negan's jeans, head tilting back to look him in the eye.

"Yeah, baby?" Negan whispered, dropping to his knees beside Rick who leaned against him as if all his strength had been robbed away. One of the trucks rumbled past them towards Alexandria.

"Please don't make me go back." Rick pleaded, now gripping at Negan's shoulder with feeble fingers. The jacket slid off his shoulder and Negan gently readjusted it.

"Go back where?" He asked and Rick slowly looked away, blinking but not offering an answer. Negan glanced up towards the clearing where Rick had stumbled out of. "Dennis, Kate, go check in the woods down there. If there's anyone there, haul them to the Sanctuary." He ordered two Saviors standing nearby. The two jumped to do as ordered, stalking down the slope and into the woods without hesitation. Negan allowed a moment to appreciate his people before his attention was grabbed by Rick's quiet figure.

"Sweetheart, I gotta put my hands on you. You can't walk. Can I touch you?" Negan whispered, hand gentle on the back of Rick'c neck. Rick nodded and Negan thanked him as he reached down, placing one arm around his shoulders and one behind his knees, mindful that there was an injury back there. He lifted him slowly, offering light words of comfort as he adjusted the man in his arms. "Okay, I'm gonna bring you to my truck now. Can you wrap your arm around...there, there we go baby. Hold onto me, okay?" He was slow on his walk back to the truck, feeling several pairs of eyes on him even as his men pretended to be busy with other things.

"They took my hatchet." Rick murmured as he rested his head against Negan's leather clad shoulder. It was an odd thing to say, but it seemed Rick was attempting to keep his mind focused and Negan wasn't about to question him on it. He reached the truck, refusing to let Simon help him lift Rick into the seat. He settled Rick on the cushion, watching as his head tipped back, no longer able to keep it up right.

"I'll get that back for you, Rick. Don't you worry." Negan assured him as he adjusted him in the seat, slipping the seatbelt across his chest. Rick watched him with dazed blue eyes, far too trusting for what he had been through. Negan had made a grave mistake. Aaron had said they were his people and Negan had let them walk out with their lives. That had been an error on his part.

"I'm sorry I lost your stuff..." Rick's voice was dazed, not full seeming to realize what he was saying. Rick never apologized. Not the Negan. This alone had the man swallowing a lump in his throat. He was supposed to be a Savior and he had been too late to stop what was done to Rick. He failed him.

"You did nothing wrong, Precious. I fucked up," Negan whispered as he settled in the seat beside his boy. Simon started the truck and pulled onto the dusty road. "I'm gonna make it up to you, though. I'll fix everything." He made this promise along with a silent promise to himself. _'I'll get then all back. Every last one of them_.'


End file.
